Category Archives: Road Warrior

Australian true metal brigade ROAD WARRIOR will release their debut full-length album, “Power”, on October 12 via Gates Of Hell Records. Featuring eight tracks of “diverse, fist-clenching, manly and classic metal,” “Power” was recorded at Against The Grain Studios in Adelaide, South Australia with Andy Kite at the helm.

Comments bassist/vocalist Denimal Blake: “It is a statement of our intent: To inject ‘Power’ back into a heavy metal scene that has been somewhat bereft of it. Whether if it truly is an objective case or not, that is our summary and the crux of the band. When heavy metal first gained a foothold it was the personification of musical power, a very special time that is finally coming back to strength, regardless of trends, due to its dominance.”

ROAD WARRIOR (who are rounded out by guitarist Overdryve and drummer Villon) are said to have recorded “Power” with “gusto, the gnashing teeth and thrusting of loins,” meaning, the album’s cuts are leaning heavily on the band’s ’80s influences as well as the proto-metal scene from the latter part of the ’70s. Says Blake: “Our influences are in a blender this time, laced with the flavor of ROAD WARRIOR, METAL CHURCH, BLACKKOUT, early IRON MAIDEN, SAVATAGE, JUDAS PRIEST, LOUDNESS, RIOT, TWISTED SISTER and HEXX.”

Accordingly, Blake says the album’s lyrical themes are quite varied: “Sex, sex and more sex, along with a bit of historical conspiracy, power, pre-diluvial civilization and hotter sex.” Tongue-and-cheek aside, Blake and his ROAD WARRIOR bandmates remain steadfast in their conviction to true heavy metal.

“We have an acute awareness of the NWOTHM [NEW WAVE OF TRADITIONAL HEAVY METAL] and know that we stand out in many ways, whether it’s due to influence, locality or pedigree. Either way, I cannot speak for the ears of others, but we are supremely confident the album will live up to the album cover and title and help usher in a new age of classic rock and metal as the trends dissolve.”

Australian true metal brigade Road Warrior has entered in January Against The Grain Studio in Thebarton, South Australia to record their debut album, “Power”.
The effort will be released by Italy’s Gates Of Hell Records in 2018.

Comments vocalist/bassist Denimal Blake: “In between alcoholic drinking ‘takes,’ we aim to lay down eight trend-rending tracks of diverse, fist clenching, manly and classic metal. Our direction is simple and somewhat complex. With so many crushing and inspiring albums to come before us (40 years of homage), we simply aspire to the same quality as those before. The complexity is inherent in the value of each song and having its place on an album that is less a bunch of tracks, than a heavy metal journey. That said, we wholly aspire to taking the smallest of steps, wherever we can, to broaden our sound in appreciable ways.”

ROAD WARRIOR, who are rounded out by guitarist Overdryve and drummer The Villain, spent the time leading up to the recording of “Power” rehearsing and developing the songs Blake had written. According to the frontman, the band’s new lineup coupled with the songs that will comprise “Power”, give ROAD WARRIOR a distinct sound.

“Our canvas is effectively an ’80s sound. We have the wantonness, power and reverb, but also, we have some ’70s heavy metal tonalities peppered in our songs. The proto-metal of the late ’70s and early ’80s are some of the greatest in terms of exploration, as heaviness had nary a definition. Every band was seeking something similar, but taking different paths. Nowadays we have the extreme metal (black, death, thrash) template well ingrained, but many assume you need to take steps backwards in order to create classic metal. This is wrong.”

After the release of “Power”, ROAD WARRIOR will be hitting the live circuit, including festivals. However, with the creative juices still flowing, ROAD WARRIOR plan on working on a new batch of songs sooner rather than later.

“The moment we finish recording ‘Power’, we get straight into the second album,” says Blake. “Unless something steers our path elsewhere, I would see only 12-18 months between any album, until my writing well runs dry and I have to call Gene Simmons for riffs.”